Hayden Panettiere’s work in progress battle against depression and the grief over her brother’s shocking death after years of heartbreaking rejections left her frustrated with fans for seeing her. Recent interviews are a cause for concern, confidential sources say.
The 35-year-old’s well-being came under intense scrutiny after clips went viral showing her slurring her words and experiencing speech delay in multiple television interviews, raising questions about her sobriety.
But sources close to the couple say her recent appearances on People and Today with Hoda & Jenna were the result of “burning the candle at both ends” as she continued to deal with and process multiple past traumas.
Some close to the Heroes alum, who has publicly battled alcohol and opioid addiction, secretly hope the interviews and subsequent worry will help her.
“Hayden was very excited after reprising her role in Scream 6, she was in a great moment,” they told DailyMail.com.
Hayden Panettiere has expressed frustration at being forced to defend herself after fans raised concerns about a series of interviews in which she “slurred” her words, sources close to her claim.
‘She was happy and excited to see where her career would go after the movie came out and then everything fell apart when she lost her brother three weeks before the premiere.’
Panettiere lost her younger and only brother, Jansen Panettiere, in February 2023, after he died suddenly from an undiagnosed heart condition called cardiomegaly, or an enlarged heart, at age 28.
In addition to mourning the loss of her brother, the actress has also had to deal with “alcoholism, horrible breakups and postpartum depression.”
The source added that the mother-of-one, who shares a nine-year-old daughter with her ex-fiancé and boxer Wladimir Klitschko, fell into depression following her brother’s death, something she is “still trying to come out of”.
“She has since admitted that she will never get over it,” they heartbreakingly revealed.
“Her mental health has taken a toll on her, which is understandable, and she is so frustrated that fans and others are looking at her recent interviews as cause for concern,” they continued.
“She’s been trying to take care of herself, but she’s really burned the candle at both ends.”
“Every time it seems like she’s getting to a better place, something knocks her down,” they added.
Panettiere, 35, lost her brother, Jansen Panettiere, in February 2023, after he died suddenly, aged 28, from an undiagnosed heart condition (pictured together in 2013).
A source claimed the actress has been dealing with “alcoholism, horrible breakups, postpartum depression and, again, the death of her brother” in recent years.
The source claimed that Panettiere is currently dealing with her past and is “still trying to figure out how best to deal with it.”
“He has to do it in the public eye, which makes it much more difficult,” they said.
Panettiere spoke to People magazine in 2022 about her years-long addiction to opioids and alcohol, revealing that a member of her team gave her “happy pills” to make her “perky” before red carpets when she was just 15 years old.
Last year she recalled how she turned to alcohol to cope when she was unknowingly suffering from postpartum depression after giving birth to Kaya Edokia in 2014, before seeking treatment the following year.
Describing the terrifying moment she experienced in 2016, she said: “It’s like being in a tunnel. You can’t even remember when you felt good. You try to remember when you felt good, when you felt positive, when you felt happy, and you can’t. All you see is enveloping darkness.”
Her addiction also led her to give custody of her daughter to her then-fiancé Klitschko, with whom she had an on-and-off relationship for nine years until 2018.
“People close to her are happy that these recent interviews have come to light,” the source said in relation to her past. “They want to make sure that she is well-liked and that if she needs help, she has an army or people who are there to help her.”
The Amber Alert actress addressed the controversy surrounding her People cover story in an Instagram post earlier this week, even after her representatives defended her sobriety and recovery from opioid addiction and alcohol abuse.
Her addiction led her to give custody of her daughter to her then fiancé Wladimir Klitschko, with whom she had an on-and-off relationship for nine years (pictured together in 2013).
The Heroes alum spoke about how her brother’s shocking death impacted her to People magazine.
In a lengthy caption accompanying a photo of herself standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling screen with her name emblazoned across the front, she said the controversy was “unfathomable” and that she felt “compelled to address” her speech.
The Nashville star explained that she was “exhausted” and hadn’t slept in several days due to an emergency with her pet.
She also noted that grief presents itself differently for each individual, adding that it was “nobody’s business” whether or not she was taking any medication while processing her loss.
“It’s unimaginable that I would be in this position, but I feel compelled to address it in a space where I won’t be criticized for how fast or slow I speak,” she said.
‘I hadn’t slept for two days before the session because one of my dogs was recovering from emergency surgery.’